Tag: Euro 2024

Substitute Mikel Oyarzabal scored a dramatic late winner as Spain triumphed in Sunday’s Euro 2024 final, beating England 2-1 to confirm their re-emergence as a force on the international stage and end their opponents’ dreams of winning a first title in almost six decades.

Spain lost influential midfielder Rodri to injury at half-time, but shrugged that off to take the lead within two minutes of the restart through Nico Williams, who was set up by his fellow star winger, Lamine Yamal.

England came from behind as they have done so often at this Euros, as substitute Cole Palmer drove in the equaliser on 73 minutes, moments after entering the fray.

But their resurgence in the game was cut short as Oyarzabal, the Real Sociedad forward, turned in a cross in the 86th minute to hand Spain a record fourth European Championship crown, and a third in the last five editions.

They previously won in 1964, 2008 and 2012, the last two titles coming either side of their triumph at the 2010 World Cup during the golden era of Xavi Hernandez, Xabi Alonso and Andres Iniesta.

Whether this generation, led by the brilliant Yamal who was playing a day after his 17th  birthday, manage to repeat the achievements of that magnificent side remains to be seen, but theirs was a fitting victory.

Spain have been comfortably the best team over the last month in Germany and were not intimidated by the atmosphere at the Olympiastadion, where the majority of the crowd were given over to England’s cause.

England had hoped to finally claim a first men’s international title since their fabled victory at the 1966 World Cup, but fell just short in their first ever final on foreign soil.

After the agony of their defeat on penalties to Italy three years ago, they are the first side ever to lose back-to-back Euros finals.

Captain Harry Kane, meanwhile, is left at the age of 30 still looking for the first trophy of with Bayern Munich. a career so rich in goals, this defeat coming after a season in which he also won nothing

It was always likely that Spain would control this game, and England spent most of the first half chasing the ball.

Read Also: NPFL: Mbah splashes N50m, other rewards on victorious Rangers

Spain controlled the game from the off, but it took until stoppage time at the end of the first half for either team to manage a shot on target, with Phil Foden’s effort from a Declan Rice free-kick delivery being easily saved by goalkeeper Unai Simon.

But it was just before that in which Rodri hurt himself, sliding into teammate Aymeric Laporte on the follow-through as he blocked a Kane shot.

Spain’s outstanding holding midfielder was unable to continue, and made way for Martin Zubimendi at the restart.

It felt like the loss of such a presence in the middle of the park could completely throw Spain off course, and yet they wasted no time in opening the scoring.

England were braced for the danger to come from Spain’s two wingers, and it was they who combined for the goal, as Yamal collected a Dani Carvajal pass and darted inside.

He released a pass for Williams, who scored with a controlled, low first-time shot across Jordan Pickford and into the far corner.

England would now need to come from behind, but then again that was exactly what they had done in each of their three previous knockout games.

Southgate took off his talisman Kane on the hour mark and sent on Ollie Watkins, a repeat of the substitution that won the semi-final against the Netherlands.

Spain had chances to increase their lead and their fans began to greet every successful pass with an ‘ole’, as Southgate tried to turn the tide by sending on Palmer for Kobbie Mainoo.

Within three minutes England were level as Bukayo Saka’s ball in from the right was laid off by Jude Bellingham for Palmer, who found the net from range with a low first-time effort into the corner.

However, Spain grabbed the winner with four minutes to go thanks to their own super-sub.

Oyarzabal played the ball out to Marc Cucurella on the left before racing into the middle to turn his teammate’s low cross into the net, staying just onside in the process.

Spain then held on, although only after a vital clearance off the line from Dani Olmo to deny Marc Guehi at the death.

Three weeks down and with one week to go, Euro 2024 has reached the semi-final stage and is getting ready for two heavyweight ties as France take on Spain and England meet the Netherlands.

France and Spain go head-to-head in Munich in the first last-four clash tomorrow, which brings together the best team at the competition so far and the best European nation at each of the last two World Cups.

Spain are through to a second consecutive European Championship semi-final after dramatically knocking out hosts Germany on Friday, when Mikel Merino’s late header gave them a 2-1 win in extra time in Stuttgart.

Luis de la Fuente’s team, on an upward curve since winning the UEFA Nations League last year, have been the most impressive side at the Euros, but are now bracing themselves for a showdown with Kylian Mbappe and the French.

Spain are also handicapped by the absences of two of their back four due to suspension, with right-back Dani Carvajal and central defender Robin Le Normand ruled out of the game.

Read Also: Euro 2024: England beat Switzerland on penalties to advance to semi-final

 “I think football is a collective sport, and it’s true that if it was one-on-one it would be tricky, but it’s up to us in the end,” defender Marc Cucurella said when asked about stopping new Real Madrid signing Mbappe.

Spain must also do without midfield creator Pedri after he came off injured against Germany, although Dani Olmo deserves to start after emerging from the bench to score one goal and make another in the quarter-final.

France have the upper hand in competitive meetings with Spain, the team they beat in the 2021 Nations League final and in the 1984 Euros final.

Les Bleus also beat Spain in the Euro 2000 quarter-finals and in the last 16 of the 2006 World Cup, although Spain won the last meeting of the teams at this tournament, in 2012.

France have reached a fourth semi-final in five major tournaments despite Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann, their two most influential players, struggling for form.

Mbappe, hindered by a broken nose, is not fully fit but is the only French player to have scored a goal in five matches.

That was a penalty against Poland, with their other two goals being scored by opposition players.

Didier Deschamps’ team, World Cup winners in 2018 and runners-up in 2022, beat Portugal on penalties after their quarter-final in Hamburg finished 0-0 at the end of extra time.

The nature of their performances has attracted criticism, but the French players are not bothered.

 “Personally I really don’t care, because at the end of the day we are in the semi-finals,” said midfielder Youssouf Fofana.

Meanwhile, England and the Netherlands meet in the second semi-final in Dortmund on Wednesday after both teams emerged victorious from their respective last-eight matches on Saturday.

In Gareth Southgate’s 100th  game in charge, Euro 2020 runners-up England fell behind against Switzerland before coming back to draw 1-1 and then triumphing on penalties.

They have reached the semi-finals despite not winning any of their last four matches in 90 minutes – those games have been against Denmark, Slovenia, Slovakia and the Swiss, none of whom are ranked higher than 19th in the world.

 “You have to show other qualities to win in tournaments and these players are showing unbelievable qualities of character, resilience – it is not just about playing well,” Southgate responded to criticism of his team’s displays.

The Dutch finished third in their group but brushed aside Romania in the last 16 before fighting back from behind to defeat Turkey 2-1 in Berlin on Saturday.

Defender Stefan de Vrij got their equaliser before Mert Muldur’s own goal decided the game.

The Netherlands, who won the last Euros held in Germany in 1988, are into a first semi-final at the tournament since 2004.

 “I think for the whole nation it’s something special, we’re a small nation and we’re in the semis with England, France and Spain, and we’re really proud,” said coach Ronald Koeman.

The sides have one win apiece in past meetings at the Euros, while the Dutch won their last encounter, 3-1 in the 2019 Nations League semi-finals.

France and Portugal renew their European Championship rivalry today  in a quarter-final showdown in which almost all of the focus will be on the two captains, Kylian Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The last-eight encounter in Hamburg brings together two of the most-fancied nations coming into Euro 2024, but two teams who have not completely convinced so far in Germany.

France have reached a sixth quarter-final in the last seven major tournaments despite not one of their players scoring a goal in open play.

Les Bleus have netted only three times in four games, with one a penalty by Mbappe and the other two coming from own goals, including Jan Vertonghen’s which allowed them to beat Belgium 1-0 in the last 16.

Mbappe has been hindered by the broken nose he suffered in France’s first match against Austria which forced him to miss the goalless draw with the Netherlands.

He has not been at his sharpest since returning and the spot-kick he converted against Poland is the only goal he has scored in seven appearances at the Euros.

Read Also: Give Super Eagles top-class coach, Enoh charges NFF

 “I don’t think any of us have made enough of the fact he broke his nose. It is not an excuse, but he was traumatised by the collision,” France assistant coach Guy Stephan said . “It is not easy to play with a mask on, as he said. He had a bit of an exhausting end to the season. But Kylian is still Kylian. He has scored almost a goal a game for us since 2021.”

The other side of the coin for France is that they have only let in one goal, which was a penalty by Poland’s Robert Lewandowski.

Meanwhile Portugal reached this stage having needed a shoot-out to beat Slovenia following a goalless 120 minutes.

Goalkeeper Diogo Costa ended up being their hero by saving all three of Slovenia’s efforts from the spot, but the game will also be remembered for Ronaldo’s tears after he had a penalty saved in extra time.

The 39-year-old’s quest to become the oldest ever goal-scorer at the tournament also led to him missing numerous attempts during that game.

It has all added fuel to the fire for those who feel Ronaldo is holding back a supremely talented Portugal side, but coach Roberto Martinez continues to defend the veteran forward.

 “Those emotions are incredible for someone who has won and experienced everything,” Martinez said. “He doesn’t need to care that much. That is why I thank him for being the way he is.”

 “We are a united group of players and that gave us more strength, so much so that Diogo went on to save the three penalties,” Portugal defender Nuno Mendes said of Ronaldo’s tears.

Portugal came from behind to beat the Czech Republic 2-1 in their first match and then outclassed Turkey in a 3-0 victory, so they have had fewer problems scoring goals than France.

However, they lost 2-0 to Georgia with a much-changed team in their last group outing.

That came after top spot in their group had already been secured, but it means they have now gone more than four hours without finding the net.

Portugal must now try to find a way through a watertight French defence, while Didier Deschamps, the coach of the 2022 World Cup runners-up, needs to find a replacement in his midfield for the suspended Adrien Rabiot.

These sides met in the group phase of the last Euros three years ago, when Ronaldo netted two penalties for Portugal in a 2-2 draw.

When they have clashed in the knockout rounds, the winner has always gone on to lift the trophy.

Portugal won the Euro 2016 final against France in extra time in Paris, while the French were grateful for Michel Platini’s extra-time strike as they won the semi-final at Euro 84, and Zinedine Zidane’s golden-goal penalty in the semis in 2000.

There was also the 2006 World Cup semi-final in Munich, exactly 18 years before today’s game, when Zidane again gave France the victory.

Ronaldo, who has said this will be his last Euros, is one of only two players to feature that day who have also been involved at Euro 2024. The other was Willy Sagnol, who coached Georgia to the last 16.

The ongoing Euro 2024 will enter the quarter-final stage on Friday, July 5, following the conclusion of the round of 16 games on Tuesday, July 2.

The quarterfinal lineup features a ton of matchups between the best players on the continent.

Here are the fixtures:

Friday

At Stuttgart (1600)

Spain v Germany

At Hamburg (1900)

Portugal v France

Saturday

At Duesseldorf (1600)

England v Switzerland

Read Also: Euro 2024: Germany bank on ‘Kroos control’ to ‘hurt Spain 

At Berlin (1900)

Netherlands v Turkey

Germany winger Leroy Sane said his side could “hurt” Spain in Friday’s Euro 2024 quarter final, thanks to the impressive return of midfielder Toni Kroos.

Sane started from the bench in all three of Germany’s pool games but returned to the starting line-up at the expense of Florian Wirtz in Saturday’s last 16 win over Denmark.

With pre-tournament favourites England and France struggling despite reaching the quarter finals, Spain have emerged alongside hosts Germany as favourites for the tournament.

The only side to win all four of their games, Spain are the form team of the tournament, having scored nine goals and conceded just one.

Sane said Germany and Spain had “played the best football” of the tournament.

“We need to keep control of our game, then we can hurt the Spaniards.”

Read Also: Dudu-Orumen, others carpet Ministry, NFF over Super Eagles woes  

Both Spain and Germany each have three Euros titles – more than any other team.

Germany lost 6-0 to Spain in the Nations League in 2020, during a desperately poor period.

After winning the 2014 World Cup and reaching the semi-finals of Euro 2016, Germany were eliminated at the group stage of the past two World Cups and lost to England in the last 16 of the Euros in 2021.

 “The heavy defeat hurt a lot, but that’s in the past,” Sane, who started that match in Seville, told reporters.

The 28-year-old Bayern Munich winger said 2014 World Cup winner Kroos, who returned to the national team in the lead up to Euro 2024 having retired from international football three years prior, had given Germany control again.

 “Before we weren’t always stable enough, that was a big weakness of ours.

 “He took away that weakness with the calmness he brings with him. Now things are going well and we’re happy he’s come back and made us stronger.”

Handed his first Germany start of 2024, Sane struggled for rhythm against Denmark but provided speed running behind the lines.

The former Manchester City winger said “it is still not clear whether I will start or not,” but the team’s trust in coach Julian Nagelsmann’s decisions “is what makes us special”.

Midfielder Emre Can was the only member of Germany’s 26-man squad not to train on Tuesday, but the federation said his omission was just a precaution.

Antonio Rudiger, Manuel Neuer and Pascal Gross completed the training session despite carrying niggling injuries.

Goalkeeper Diogo Costa was the match-winner for Portugal in their round of 16 victory, opens new tab over Slovenia on Monday but no keeper at the European Championship has been busier than the overworked Giorgi Mamardashvili from Georgia.

Costa, 24, saved three penalties in the shoot-out, a record for Euros finals, as Portugal advanced to a meeting with France on Friday. Before that he produced an excellent stop to deny Benjamin Sesko on a one-on-one in extra time.

He became the third keeper to receive a Man of the Match award at the tournament after Mamardashvili in a 1-1 draw with Czech Republic and Poland’s Lukasz Skorupski when they drew 1-1 against France.

“I think this was the game of my life,” Costa told reporters. “Maybe the game where I was most useful. I am very, very happy and I am also very excited that I helped the team.”

Mamardashvili, 23, stands head and shoulders above the rest of the keepers at the tournament in terms of shots saved, though he will not thank his defence for that.

He made 29 stops in the four games he played, including the 4-1 round of 16 loss to Spain, more than double the next highest for a keeper at the tournament.

Italy’s Gianluigi Donnarumma, Koen Casteels of Belgium and Jan Oblak from Slovenia all made 14 saves and are out of the tournament.

Read Also: Ex- Eagles Anichebe wants ‘clueless’ NFF  sacked 

Georgia allowed 106 attempts on goal, so Mamardashvili deserves a great deal of credit for conceding only eight times.

His performances have not come out of the blue and the Valencia keeper has been attracting interest from top clubs for some time, coming close to a move to Bayern Munich at the start of last season.

“My move to Bayern Munich was almost done,” he told reporters. “My agent was in Munich with my father to find an apartment. But as far as I know, in the end they refused to pay 35 million (euros) for me.”

He has started all but one of Valencia’s LaLiga matches over the last two seasons and his exploits in the last few weeks may reignite interest elsewhere.

The keepers at Euro 2024 who played four games and had the fewest saves to make are Costa and Switzerland’s Yann Sommer with six each. Germany’s Manuel Neuer has made one more stop with seven.

 Jude Bellingham rescued England from crashing out of Euro 2024 against Slovakia with a stunning 95th-minute equaliser before Harry Kane’s early extra-time winner sent the sub-par pre-tournament favourites into the quarter-finals.

Slovakia started far sharper than England and gave their opponents several warnings before Ivan Schranz placed a deft finish past goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in the 25th  minute.

England, who will next face Switzerland, had come back to win their last three Euro games in which they conceded first, including the last edition’s semi-final, and thought they were level shortly after the break but Phil Foden was clearly offside before tapping home.

Harry Kane uncharacteristically headed a Foden free kick wide and Declan Rice hit the post as Slovakia were pinned deep in their own half late on, though England seemed to lack belief as their fans grew ever more frustrated.

But Bellingham, a day after his 21st  birthday, equalised with an incredible bicycle kick at the death to take the game to extra time with England’s first shot on target.

Read Also: Prince William parleys  England squad before Euro 2024

And England took less than a minute after the restart to take the lead when Kane headed past the despairing Martin Dubravka from close range to complete a remarkable turnaround.

Slovakia had faded as the game drew on and went closest to an equaliser of their own just before halftime in extra time, when Peter Pekarik kneed a dangerous cross over the bar.

England repelled a late wave of balls into the box to secure a fortunate victory and set up a quarter-final clash with Switzerland in Duesseldorf on Saturday.

They will, however, need to be a far better against the Swiss, who outplayed defending champions Italy in the last-16 and were unfortunate to concede a late equaliser against Germany in the group stage.

Luka Modric is the tournament’s oldest goalscorer and Cristiano Ronaldo has now played at six European Championships but neither can get even close to Euro 2024’s oldest volunteer.

With a foam finger on his hand and a smile on his face, 89-year-old Reiner Spankuch helps guide football fans from all over Europe to their seats at Leipzig Stadium.

“I started volunteering in 2006, at the World Cup in Leipzig,” Spankuch told Reuters.

“When I reached retirement age, I wanted to have a job, stay busy, move around and be among people. And it became what it is today.”

Spankuch has since earned a wealth of experience, the role taking him as far afield as Las Vegas to volunteer at a table tennis tournament, a sport he still plays himself.

Read Also: Euro 2024: Dutch eyeing top spot group’s spot ahead of France

“I’ve been working at these events almost every year since 2006, six to seven events a year. And I’m still at RB Leipzig, volunteering in visitor management, and I’m a companion for bus trips to away games,” he said.

“What matters most of all is the connection to the people, the fans. That’s what enlivens the spirit, and I have wonderful experiences.”

Spankuch, who turns 90 in August, believes this tournament is more enjoyable than the 2006 World Cup.

“The mood is even better than in 2006. What the Dutch did here, also the French. It’s really the mood, despite the rain at the beginning,” he said.

“The mood is great also among the locals. You have a feeling for that as a volunteer. And it will increase the better the German side becomes.”

Switzerland coaches had computers stolen in Duesseldorf during Euro 2024, though no sensitive data or information about their next match against Italy has been  compromised, the team said.

Video analysts responsible for preparing data and tactical information for team coaches were not impacted as they were at Switzerland’s base camp in Stuttgart, a spokesperson for the team said, confirming three laptops were taken.

Read Also: Euro 2024: Dutch eyeing top spot group’s spot ahead of France

Those affected were part of a delegation of junior national team coaches who were travelling across Germany to observe and analyse matches.

“No sensitive data or no information about the upcoming match against Italy has been lost,” the official said in an email.

Switzerland have reached the knockout stages of their sixth successive major tournament and play Italy in Berlin on Saturday.